An end to the tail
by Tumaila
Summary: finished! the last chapter of Narwain, Rumil and Haldir


The Misty mountains rose out of the heavy fog that wreathed their jagged peaks as the sun slowly slipped behind them, casting their shadows upon the plain below. It was an impressive sight, but I had little time to watch it. By now, Haldir and Rumil must know that I was no longer in Lorien and I wanted to be as far away as I could get before they came looking for me. And that was one thing I could be certain of; after all I did leave my post without telling either of them. Something that I knew that Haldir wasn't going to like, even if I did have the Lady's permission.  
I needed time to figure out what I was going to do; I cared for both Haldir and Rumil. But which one did I love? I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I failed to notice the six Orcs coming up behind me. The only warning I got of their presence was when a black feathered arrow embedded in the dirt at my feet. Reacting instinctively, I drew my bow and notched an arrow even as I sought a more sheltered position. But there was nothing, no tree to hide in, and no rock to take cover behind. I had no choice to stand my ground and face them. Drawing the string of my bow taunt, I let the arrow fly, before it had struck its intended target I had another notched and ready.  
As I drew the bowstring taunt a second time, I felt the wound in my side open and warm, wet blood flowing down my side. Ignoring the pain and the blood, I let the arrow fly. It was a battle that I was doomed to loose, between blood loss and being out numbered the odds were in the Orcs favor. But I was determined to take as many of them with me before I died.  
A third Orc fell to my well thrown knife and two more fell from arrows coming from the forest itself. Breathing heavily, I watched as Rumil finished off the last Orc, then walked over to me. Without a word he slipped his arm under my shoulder.  
"Come on," he said softly. "Let's get you home."  
"How did you know where I was?" I asked as we made our way back to the forest.  
Rumil shrugged his shoulder. "The Lady told me. She said that you were in danger and that you needed me."  
I smiled at him. "No, I don't need you. I love you and that is different."  
Rumil stopped walking and turned to face me. "You're right. It is and just when did you realize that?"  
"I've always known, it just took me awhile to figure it out." I replied. "I though that it was Haldir that I was in love with, but all this time it was you."  
As we reached the edge of the forest, Haldir and Orophin dropped gracefully out of the trees. One look at Haldir told me that I was in deep trouble and I doubted that even the grace of the Valor could get me out of it. After tending my injury, Orophin and Rumil left giving Haldir and I some much needed privacy.  
"You left your post." He said as he folded his arms over his chest. "I thought that I had taught you better than that."  
"I had the Lady's permission." I replied.  
"And you know that when it comes to defending Lothlorien, my judgment over rides hers. You should have told me that you were leaving. This is not like you Narwain, why didn't you just tell me that you needed time to think things over?"  
"I was afraid that you wouldn't let me leave." I replied with a sigh. "I'm not a child any more Haldir. I can make my own choices."  
"You certainly demonstrated your skill in that area didn't you?" He replied. "What were you thinking? Facing off against six Orcs while injured, you could have been killed."  
"But I wasn't, was I?" I asked. "Besides I didn't want to see you."  
"Regardless of what has happened between us, you are still under my command, but what is more important is that you are my friend, Narwain and I don't want to see you hurt." He replied. "You have made one choice, but there is still another one that you have to make. Do you wish to remain in the guard or not?"  
"And if I chose to remain?" I asked.  
"Then you're going to have to learn to listen." He said. "I can't have you and Rumil posted to the same watch, so what I say goes without question."  
Before I could reply, Orophin and Rumil reappeared and we were once again on our way to the city. As we walked, I knew that if I couldn't be posted with Rumil I didn't wish to remain in the guard. If anything was going to happen to either of us, I wanted to be there when it did. But I could also see Haldir's point, posting a husband and wife together could cause problems. Knowing this, I made the only choice I could.  
  
"Are you sure of your choice?" Galadriel asked.  
"It is my only choice," I replied. "I wish it had not come down to this my Lady, but it is the only way."  
"Very well then, I accept your resignation. But we will wait until after your marriage to announce it." She said.  
"Thank you," I said as I bowed deeply to her.  
"Don't thank me yet, for you may one day regret your choice." Galadriel said.  
"I doubt that very much, my Lady." I replied as I turned to leave.  
  
Two months later:  
  
Orophin smiled as he stood next to Rumil as Haldir and Narwain approached. His smile broadened as he heard his brother's sharp intake of breath. They had all known that Narwain was a beauty, but watching her approach in a dress was quite a sight. All the braids had been removed from her hair so it flowed over her semi exposed shoulders. The pastel green dress highlighted the golden-copper color of her skin giving her an almost exotic appearance.  
I was certain that I had forgotten how to breathe when Haldir placed my hand in Rumil's and we turned to face the Lord and Lady. To this day, I don't remember much of the ceremony, I can however recall the look in Haldir's eyes when the Lady announced that I was no longer a March Warden.  
Despite the fact that I had given up my position, I still remain a member of the guard and was place under Rumil's command by direct order of the Lord and Lady, something that Haldir couldn't argue with.  
  
To this day, I'm not sure if I made the right choice in giving up my status as a March Warden but it's something that I have learned to live with. If I was faced with the same choice, I know that I would choose Rumil all over again and that is all that really matters. 


End file.
